Birthdays
On Location
Alan Harris watches Steven Rosenberg
whistle after eating dry cereal.
Good news: A wide variety of
restaurants, museums, child care
facilities, and favorite family
haunts offer birthday party pack-
ages. Parents can easily tailor the
site to their child's interests.
Last . year, for their son
Owen's ninth birthday, Susan and
Irwin Alterman took 13 boys to
the Cranbrook Science Museum.
"Owen is interested in as-
tronomy, so we picked up tickets
in advance and took the kids to
see the planetarium show. Then
we looked around the hands-on
room. Afterwards, we took
everyone out for pizza. It was a lot
of fun," Susan remembers.
Just be sure to ask a lot of
questions and see the accommoda-
tions yourself before you book a
place. Know the place's policy on
the following:
• What comes with the pack-
age?
• Can you bring your own
cake? entertainment?
• Are goodie bags or prizes
included?
• What type of supervision is
provided?
• Where will the party be
held? Can we have a separate
room?
• Where are the bathrooms
located?
• How will the children be
transported?
• Is there a required
minimum or maximum amount of
children or time?
Following is a list of party
places:
For sportsminded children:
sporting events, roller or ice skat-
ing rinks, elementary school
gyms, batting cages, bumper car
alleys, bowling alleys, miniature
golf or swim clubs.
The Jewish Community Cen-
ter offers party packages includ-
ing toddler gym, dance, mini-
sports, swim, gymnastics, exercise
or basketball.
For children who like live
entertainment: Detroit Institute
of Arts Youth Theater, Peanut
Butter Players, restaurants that
offer clowns or magicians, Civic
Center Children's Theater or De-
troit Symphony youth concerts.
For children who like ani-
mals: petting farms or the .Zoo.
For children interested in
science: Cranbrook Science
Museum or Detroit Science Cen-
ter.
For children interested in
trains: Coe Railroad in Walled
Lake.
"Goodie bags" are still a main attraction.
\ _ _
who else will drive the kids
downtown, or where you'll hold the
peanut hunt if it rains.
Judy and Bobby Rubin of Hun-
tington Woods have a well-earned
reputation among their friends as
creative and talented birthday party
planners. They believe in making
memorable parties for their three
boys, Josh, age nine, Gabe, age se-
ven, and Ari, age three.
"I'm not a believer in Burger
King parties" Judy says. "We like to
have the party at home and use our
creativity."
By gearing the party to her
child's level and interests, Judy has
developed a simple formula that is
repeated at every party. Fifteen or
20 children are invited from 2-4 p.m.
on a Sunday afternoon for cake and
ice cream.
Judy explains, "I never put a lot
of effort into the food. Eating is not
exciting for kids. They'd rather be
playing and busy with activities."
The imaginative activities more
than make up for the lack of a meal.
Before each party, Judy and the
birthday child decide on a theme.
They brainstorm costume and prop
ideas and funny games. By combing
area wholesale party supply stores,
Judy finds everything necessary to
costume her guests when they ar-
rive.
When Gabe turned five, he had
a safari party. Judy and Bobby,
dressed in khakis and safari hats,
met the. children at the door.
We told them there was a
monkey loose from the zoo and we
were sorry but the birthday party
couldn't begin until they captured
that monkey," Judy recalls.
"We dressed each child in a
safari hat. Older children who acted
as 'team leaders' took their groups
all over the backyard looking for the
monkey. Finally, they ended up in
the garage where we had tables and
chairs set up for cake and ice cream.
There they found a real monkey we
had hired and he performed a show
for the kids."
Another year, Josh had a robot
party. Judy assembled 20 empty ice
cream barrels and helped the chil-
dren make space helmets. We cut
out a square for their faces and
covered it with plastic wrap. We also
hired a robot. The kids were thril-
led."
One year, Bobby dressed as the
Sesame Street character Ernie. An-
other time, during the summer
Olympics, they hosted an Olympics
Continued on Page 80
Robert Rubin helps son Ari pick up a toy snake in the obstacle course.
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